Goodrich – Meeting next January’s new arsenic requirements has been an ongoing two-year research project for school officials.
Currently, the federal Safe Drinking Water Act requires a maximum of 50 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic. As of Jan. 23, 2006, drinking water can contain no more than 10 ppb arsenic.
Changes instituted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are being passed along to each state.
States, in turn, are setting standards of compliance for community water systems, as well as for schools and businesses.
Local school officials first learned of impending changes Aug. 21, 2003, when a DEQ-authorized company conducted an arsenic assessment, says Goodrich schools special services director Brian Walton, the school’s designated systems operator.
New arsenic requirements would affect Goodrich High School and Oaktree Elementary. Goodrich Middle School and Reid Elementary already meet the 2006 standards (see chart, ‘Goodrich school district wells?).
Why arsenic levels are changing. According to the EPA site, the current 50 ppb standard was set by the EPA in 1975, based on a Public Health Service standard originally established in 1942.
EPA officials considered setting the maximum arsenic level at 3 ppb, 10 ppb, or 20 ppb before issuing a final rule in 2001 that ‘maximizes health risk reduction benefits at a cost that is justified by the benefits.?
The National Academy of Sciences report, ‘Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update? links long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water to some types of cancer, as well as medical conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, based primarily on data collected from Taiwan, Chile, and Argentina.
‘To my knowledge all the data the EPA used was from other countries,? says Amy Perbeck, a toxicologist for the Michigan DEQ Water Bureau in Lansing, Mich., who’s not yet aware of any documented cases of chronic arsenic poisoning in the U.S.
According to the EPA, requirements for lower arsenic levels is estimated to ‘provide additional protection for 13 million Americans? against health problems.
Possible solutions. Meeting the new regulations will be a financial burden on non-community, non-transient water systems like schools and businesses, since they are required by law to provide safe drinking water, says John Chickering, environmental analyst for Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
There are four proposed categories of solutions; three are currently legal:
‘Tapping into a municipal water supply. The closest municipal water line to the Goodrich school district is located at Vassar Road, between Grand Blanc and Atlas townships, says John O’Brien, director of Genesee County Drain Commission Division of Water & Waste Services.
If Atlas Township officials were willing to contract with the county to set up the water line extension, Goodrich schools would likely foot the bill, unless an area developer was interested in splitting costs. O’Brien estimates the construction cost alone would exceed $1.2 million.
‘Drilling a new well. Although ‘an extra 25 feet of casing does seem to show decreased levels of arsenic,? there’s no guaranteed way of locating potential well sites with lower arsenic levels, says Chickering.
A Genesee County section map shows wells’all at depths between 250 and 300 feet’within approximately a mile of the Oaktree-Goodrich High School area. Despite the wells? similar depths and closely-spaced locations, arsenic levels range from 0.06 ppb to 33 ppb.
With the cost of drilling a deep commercial well estimated at as much as $26,000, to ‘keep drilling wells may be too much of a long shot,’says Walton.
‘Installing filtration systems on drinking water supplies. Several types of filtration systems are available, to filter out arsenic either at the point of entry’usually with large tanks filtering water near the point at which pipes enter a structure’s walls. Such a system, over a 15-year period, is estimated to cost approximately $200,000, said Walton.
Also available is a ‘point of use? system, such as individual filters placed at each drinking or cooking station, similar to water coolers, which would require continual maintenance and extra monitoring. The system, priced over a 15-year period, is estimated at $375,000, although it would cost less than some systems the first year, Walton said.
Goodrich Middle School currently uses a ‘sort of hybrid? system, providing reverse osmosis and filtration only at a drinking water supply line inside the building. The system, installed to improve water taste when the school was built, was a ‘lucky? move, says Walton, and isn’t feasible in existing buildings.
‘Providing bottled water. Although the EPA hasn’t yet approved the use of bottled water as a long-term solution to high arsenic levels, it’s the DEQ’s opinion that ‘bottled water is no different than the point-of-use system?, said Chickering.
Schools and businesses choosing bottled water as an option will be required to use Michigan-supplied water, shut off drinking fountains, and post notices, all with the understanding that the DEQ will allow an extension for systems operators choosing this option, if the EPA doesn’t give its final blessing.
Compliance decisions. Approximately 288 non-transient non-community systems aren’t expected to meet the 2006 arsenic standards, said Chickering, with at least half being school districts and day care centers.
Since there’s no ready-made solutions to lowering arsenic levels, those not meeting the standards by the January deadline will be expected to enter into contractual agreements with the state, outlining a plan for compliance.
In some cases’such as in a day care situation’the state will force operators to provide bottled water until a plan is enacted.
‘It’s going to take somebody doing a little research to see what’s going to be worth it,? said Chickering. ‘One design doesn’t fit all.?
Although Goodrich High School has an irrigation well that currently meets 2006 arsenic levels, its relatively shallow depth makes Walton wonder how long before the well will run dry.
At Oaktree, research is complicated by the fact that the school’s two linked wells supply fire suppression systems, meaning a large volume of water gets pumped through the wells.
Higher water volume and higher levels of arsenic mean a bigger, more expensive system.
Walton has been studying old school well records. It’s a challenge.
Whether a well is active or abandoned, it’s listed under the same site number. Records of abandoned wells don’t indicate the reason for abandonment. Nor are there arsenic test results available for the old wells, which were originally tested for the presence of bacteria only.
No decision has yet been made as to the best course of action for the Goodrich school district, emphasized Walton, although the district has budgeted $180,000 to meet the upcoming requirements.
‘There’s so many uncontrolled variables it’s hard to come up with a solution. We’re dealing with enough money that we want to have to fix it only once. We’re dealing with a health issue, arsenic, so we want to be sure that it stays away.?
According to the EPA site, systems may apply for financial assistance through the EPA’s drinking water state revolving funds. The assistance is basically low-interest loans that must be repaid, said Chickering.
For those wishing to hire a consultant, the DEQ recommends speaking with Lane Consulting. Schools or businesses only may call Richard White at (248) 693-8187 or Greg Sowa at (989) 799-3630.
Residential wells. There’s no state law requiring arsenic testing be done on existing private well supplies, says Joe Lovato, chief of the DEQ Water Bureau Contamination Investigation Unit.
‘Some counties require it on a county-by-county basis? and results may be collected for informational or enforcement purposes at the county’s discretion.
A program to offer homeowners free arsenic testing is no longer in effect, said Lovato, although state laboratories will run a water test for about $16; private laboratories also offer the service.
Homeowners should contact their county health department to check on county arsenic requirements or arrange for testing.
Genesee County Health Department: (810) 257-3612. Oakland County Health Department: (248) 858-1312. Lapeer County Health Department: (810) 667-0391.